Action urged on air service
Westminster MPs told of travel trials and tribulations
(Story dated: Thursday, May 22, 2003)

Low cost airlines should be encouraged to introduce services in Orkney as a way of lowering the cost of air travel, according to a senior Whitehall politician.

However, MP John Randall, a Tory member of the House of Commons transport select committee, was told there was only one problem with his solution to the high cost of air services to the county - the runway at Kirkwall Airport is simply not big enough for the planes operated by companies such as EasyJet and Ryanair.

Mr Randall was one of five MPs who took evidence on what should be done to improve air services in the Highlands and Islands.

After visiting Inverness, the group, headed by committee chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody, travelled to Orkney the next day to hear the concerns from a number of people whose businesses rely heavily on the county's air service.

Chief executive of Orkney Tourist Board, Barbara Foulkes, Jeremy Baster from Orkney Islands Council, and Jenny Dewar, chairman of NHS Orkney, were among those at the meeting.

Mrs Dunwoody explained that the findings of the meeting will be discussed in the House of Commons as part of a white paper on aviation later this year. The general opinion of the local representatives at the meeting was that the cost of flights to and from the county should be reduced.

It was also mooted that Public Service Obligations (PSO) should be introduced in order to reduce fares for hard pressed islanders.

Mr Baster, OIC director of development and protective services, said flying from Orkney to a meeting in London could take up to three days if flights are delayed.

Mrs Foulkes highlighted the need for the introduction of PSOs to help boost the tourism trade in the Isles.

She said Orkney's excellent tourist numbers could receive an extra boost if flights to the county were cheaper and more accessible.

"PSO is the way ahead. It is a lifeline service," Mrs Foulkes said.

Mrs Dewar, of NHS Orkney supported the idea, adding: "Getting down to a conference in Edinburgh or Glasgow can incorporate a series of expensive flights with two overnight stays, not to mention the cost of the hotel accommodation. It is an escalating cost."

She explained that the cost of flights south for patients and staff is a "major pressure" on the NHS Orkney budget.

John Randall, a Tory member of the committee, suggested that low cost operators such as Ryanair or and EasyJet could provide the answer to the county's high air fares.

However, Mrs Foulkes countered: "Low cost operators planes cannot land on the runway at Kirkwall airport. They are simply too big."

Loganair, which operates passenger services for British Airways between Orkney and the mainland, used aircraft which have fewer than 50 seats, whereas the fleet operated by EasyJet includes Boeing and Airbus aircraft with a minimum passenger capacity of 148.